“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
I have realised that showing love to others goes beyond just being kind and friendly to them. It’s beyond giving them gifts and hugging them when they cry.
Showing love starts from the intent of our hearts. Why do we want to be kind and friendly? Why do we want to hug the person weeping? Is it so that we can take a selfie and upload it to Instagram? Or do we want to brag about it later?
The crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus weren’t bragging rights for God. There are other ways He can brag. It was a necessity that showed His intent to love us unconditionally.
Should you die for your friend at the detriment of your desires and needs? No, because that can be interpreted as people-pleasing. God wasn’t trying to please or impress us. It was his desire.
So, the call to action is to check our desires and ensure that the intent matches what we do externally.
How does selflessness and humility influence our work?
Before I understood the importance of trusting others to do the work I needed them to do, I would be everywhere, doing everything. I realised that this was the height of pride and selfishness.
But I’m only trying to get the work done, right? Yes, that’s true, but the intent was wrong. I wasn’t interested in their growth and development because I didn’t believe others could do it. I didn’t think they were better than me. And I didn’t know they had my best interest at heart.
It was all about me. And that makes me think that burnout isn’t just about the volume of work and it’s effect on physical strength. The pride and selfishness we exhibit daily are like hot coal in our hearts, gradually burning us until we have nothing left to give.
And because those are negative values, they burn us until all that’s left is bitterness and anger—emotions that also have negative outcomes. Sometimes, even the hardest worker in your organisation may not be right with God.
It’s important to check the intent of our hearts and emotions, which are contrary to how God would have us feel about others. This journey isn’t a set-it-and-forget system. We can’t automate our spiritual growth. It’s intentional work that requires practice.
“I stay humble and selfless.”
How do you see others? Do you work with people how you desire God to work with you?
There are some tricky questions that I struggle to answer. But it’s in answering them that we realise just how much we need God’s help.
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